Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Collegiate Match Race National Championship 2011

The Match Race Team, consisting of Matt Graham (skipper), Kirsten Corneliussen (cockpit and spinnaker), and David Oliver (bow and jib trim), qualified for the Collegiate Match Race Nationals in San Francisco from November 17th through the 20th in J22s. A total of 10 universities were invited to this event. The first day of racing was chilly with winds at a steady 15-20 mph. Since the three were 100 pounds under the weight limit, they had to work harder than the other teams to keep their boat flat and finished out the day in eighth place. On Saturday, alumni Dan Morris and Alex Bogatko, now San Francisco residents, coached the three from the water. The wind calmed down and the lighter boats suddenly had an advantage. They progressed to the Top Eight round and finished the day in seventh place. On the final day of racing, after a long morning of wind delays and sitting in cold rain, they lost to both Tufts and St. Mary's, putting them in eighth place for the regatta. Overall, it was an amazing opportunity seeing as match racing is new to college sailing. Being invited to the second annual collegiate Match Race National Championship was an excellent learning opportunity and great way to promote our team and our district. A special thanks to the cheering section from Kansas, Mike and Lori Graham (Matt's parents), who flew out to watch the races live and support our team.